A proposal to amend the rules regarding registration fees and charges for merchant shipping will be published in the Government Gazette tomorrow, in implementation of the Block Registration Incentive Scheme in the Hong Kong Shipping Registry (HKSR).

The scheme is one of the measures proposed in the “Action Plan on Maritime & Port Development Strategy” promulgated last December.

If more than one eligible ship is registered with the HKSR within 24 months, the owners of the ships concerned may be given a refund on their ship registration fee and the annual tonnage charge for the first year. One application may cover ships with different owners and may be submitted by an owner, ship manager or ship agent.

Highlighting that Hong Kong-registered ships rank as the fourth largest in the world in terms of gross tonnage, the Transport & Logistics Bureau said the Port State Control detention rate of Hong Kong-registered ships is only 0.81%, significantly lower than the world average of 3.39% and a reflection of the Hong Kong fleet's high degree of safety and reliability.

The bureau stressed that even though the current registration fee under the HKSR is highly competitive, some other major flag states and administrations have rolled out their own block registration incentives.

“We thus deem it necessary to launch a similar scheme in Hong Kong, with a view to further strengthening the HKSR's competitiveness and fostering our leading position among shipping registries in the world.”

The Marine Department will reach out to shipowners and shipping-related companies to promote the scheme through its network on the Mainland and overseas.

The Government has consulted stakeholders in the shipping industry on the scheme, and the trade has expressed support. There are also proposals to amend the regulations on merchant shipping fees to delete antiquated provisions.

The legislative amendments will be tabled at the Legislative Council on December 18 for negative vetting. An implementation of February 14 is targetted.